M I know only enough to be dangerous, but, since he plans to keep this
M heirloom for a while, is there a way he could fashion a string of white
M LED's in series with an appropriate sized resistor? Would he have to use a
M plug-in transformer to drop the voltage?
M
M I know this would be pricey, and tedious, but is it doable? This one time
M cost and trouble might be worth it if he never had to fool with making the
M thing work in future years. The "bulbs" would outlast he and his wife both?
M
M Just a thought, maybe it is ridiculous, but I've always wondered....

Sure it's do-able! In fact it's been done years ago. Was going
through some old Radio Electronics/Popular Electronics type of
magazine and they had a similar article.

I would suggest using a regulated power supply instead of "just" the
step-down transformer -- essentially add the appropriate IC and a few
external parts to your xfmr. I'm thinking using the xfmr and dropping
resistor alone will not stabiliize the output voltage sufficiently.
LEDs generally operate between 1.7 and 2.2v, the optimal voltage
dependant on the specific LED type. Hard to adjust with a resistor,
easy with a potentiometer and voltage regulator IC. Also remember the
120 vAC coming out of the wall outlet varies quite a bit - probably a
high of 130v to a low of 110v. Plus voltage spikes will do "little
nasties", and ICs are very unforgiving when it comes to overvoltages.

-
¯ barry.martinþATþthesafebbs.zeppole.com ®

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